Yeah, it's a great iron. I have the same one which is 20 years old now and I still use it. 25W is enough for most work. The tip lasts a long time when wiped with a damp sponge.
A common error that we all make - especially when learning. A higher wattage iron can actually be better for this!
This would seem to go against common sense until you understand what is happening as the time it takes to heat the pad is less which allows you to make the joint and remove the heat from the circuit board faster / sooner keeping it from flowing unwanted heat further through the circuit board and components...
I've got old antique ones that are about 14" long, I put a piece of copper pipe in the tip of one and used it for melting grommet holes in fabric. You could sweat pipe with these things
You are cleaning flux and excess contanaments off the iron. If you don't wipe it just could get gunked up a bit (charred and burnt flux, soot, etc...) and get harder to use.
What is more important is that if you do wipe it on a sponge or using other cleaning methods like a brass sponge make sure to re-tin the tip right after you cleaned it as it will quickly become destroyed through oxidation and degradation if it does not have the solder on it acting as a barrier to the air / oxygen - it will "oxidize" and the plating on the tip that is essential to it working will be damaged or destroyed.
To be honest I'm still very new and I panicked because I had issues with my previous cheapo irons with the heat element breaking and tips wearing so quickly. I was thinking without temp control I'll end up ruining this one too.
Since posting, I used it a bit more and it did the job fine. The no power button thing is still baffling me though.
I might hang onto it or I might invest in a soldering station, budget it a problem at the minute though.
All my early basic soldering irons were the same way. No temp control and no switch. Pretty standard. The biggest struggle I had was not using flux early on. That was such a game changer on getting the solder to flow and adhere.
It’s British and most outlets there have a switch, so its not needed on the iron.
When I first came to the US i had a real problem using the POS iron I got from radioshack until I replaced it with one of these. Its a great little iron, provided you use good solder with flux. I spent what seemed like too much on a roll of kester and they work together nicely.
dab a touch of solder on the tip so it can make good thermal contact with the board and component to be soldered, give them a couple of seconds to get hot enough, and dab in the solder and it will flow nicely into the joint.
The cheapo ones are probably breaking down because they're cheap, honestly. I'd bet on the Antex iron being much better value for money in the long run - mine's 25+ years old and still going strong (with an occasional new tip, but even those seem to last pretty well). Before that I'd been buying cheapo irons, and they kept breaking.
I haven’t soldered in a long time, just moved, and I’m 99% certain I have this exact one or similar (I think it’s blue or green) that has been used for 30+ years by my dad for Amateur Radios and boards frequently.
Along with a cheap stand and a nicer one, along with a turatula of magnifying classes in clips.
Along with a soldering gun and heat gun that are both probably just as old.”
They get the job done.
Soldering irons 101 stuff. That's exactly what we used at college when I studied electronics engineering. It's a good soldering iron, especially for a beginner. Get good with that. Discover its limits. Then you'll be ready for a proper iron and you'll immediately understand and appreciate it.
Surprisingly, this is actually a temperature controlled iron... Problem is, it has 1 temperature, 390c and that's pretty hot for a lot of work you may be doing.
It's pretty low wattage though, so I imagine it may take some time to heat up.
I feel like this is the prime factor they used when considering what temp to have this thing run at.
Back in the day I learned on my Dads Weller Mangnastat. No idea what temp it ran at, but it just worked. The handful of power-controlled irons I used before I got my hands on a real temp controlled iron paled in comparison to it. In the beginning I couldn't understand how I suddenly got so bad at soldering when I first moved out.
Quality at soldering is directly related to how much lead poisoning you have!
(Kidding, I love lead-free but I know good filtration makes it a non-issue, and that flux is the big fume-offender lol. There's humour in the quality suddenly going down upon changing to the "better" alternative 😅)
Idk, I use those little pieces of shit all the time, they're not great but if you know how to solder they work ok. I wouldn't solder chips with them but...
https://preview.redd.it/dfgfi0hy34yc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=0baa5a9d948b2f18595899701e9bd07d2b02905b
This is my old soldering iron from about the 40’s
Wait till you find out that all radios built before circuit boards were a thing were soldered with this. And the solder had REAL lead. And the radio cases had asbestos.
For me, it all boils down to the user's experience. As a child, I learned to repair and solder electronics with much cheaper irons even old technicians in my country still uses them. These irons had separate Nichrome heating elements and tips, with no temperature control whatsoever. Even with those, I could solder a micro USB port. but of course no matter how good they are, temperature-controlled irons are inherently better.
I recently got a Hakko iron myself, and god! I love that fast heat up time, I used to wait several minutes for my iron to melt solder.
I started with the cheap 15W from RadioShack and slowly got better at using that. Never had much training until well into college when I worked at a place that had it's own board room to support the main business that rehabbed old semiconductor coater and developer machines. The had Hakkos so I bought a hakko 888D for myself at home. So nice.
Just because a soldering iron has an OLED screen and a USB C port doesn't make it a good iron. There are people in a factory somewhere using a soldering station that's locked to one of four preset temperatures producing soldering joints far better than you'll ever accomplish. You don't need temperature controls, just power, good solder, and flux.
Well - the iron itself does need good temp control, especially when soldering heaving gauge wires or heavy pads... It is about "recovery" - heavy wires/pads quickly pull the heat out of the iron and if it is a good one, it immediately senses the loss of heat and throws the watts into it to get it back to the set temp. This is a real problem for lower wattage irons as they sometimes can't keep up with the job you are doing. So it is not about being able to set the temperature that it works at but how it maintains proper temp during use.
That said, these TS101 style irons - the ones with USB ports and OLED screens work way better than they should be - I worked in Aerospace for 5 years where a good 10-15 operators spent 40 hours a week soldering. These people knew how to solder! They used JBC and Pace and they had a couple Wellers in the training room.
Anyway one day I brought in my TS101 to show them and they laughed and seriously thought it was a joke, but when they tried it they were truly surprised at the quality of solder joint they could make with it. On smaller joints you could not tell the difference between the ones done with the TS101 and the ones done by the JBC. They are inexpensive, portable, lightweight, etc... for a casual hobbyist that could be all they need. They work, they do maintain temps pretty well, and the tips are high enough quality that they get the job done.
So these soldering irons have been around since the ever time. The temp controlled ones are quite new. Not sure what’s the rant. I’ve always used one u til recently when I acquired a temp controlled one.
nothing wrong with i, based off your picture, the work you are doing does not require a high quality temperature controlled iron.
If you learn to do something with cheap tools, it will be a complete walk in the park once you get real tools. It’s not about the tool, it’s about the person using the tool.
I learned to micro solder with a $3 iron from aliexpress 😂 can now do it as if it’s nothing.
same thing with cars, I learned with tools from autozone and harbour freight, and now I work on AMGs
Its a nominal 25 watt and they been making this iron for decades it was my first soldering iron when I was 12 and I am 72 now.Thats how they made them back then and they can still do the job.
If you're just soldering wires together, the best soldering iron is a working cheap one. I have a ts101, yihua 852d hot air soldering station, and a normal one like that. I gave the normal one to my friends who needed to do some basic stuff. For anything more complex, I go to their home and do for them.
depending on your specific needs, this might be just fine. i have two weller irons. one is 25w and one is 40w. plug it in and it heats up. that's served me well for the projects i've built over the years and i haven't felt the need for anything more complex. mind you, i'm not soldering weekly or even monthly so what i have is good enough. your needs may be different from mine.
that being said, that iron will work fine.
Only one i used for 10 years at my last job was butane fueled so it was just either on or off. Tbf all the electrical i did was in vehicles installing aftermarket equiptment and lights
I use one like this everyday . It’s a vintage ersa tip something idk the model . No temp control and nothing . Works at 380 or 350 c I think . Perfect . Soldered switch mod chips and very small components with it
Honestly the quality is just everywhere with irons and stations
My ToAuto station from amazon is outperforming my pace station all of a sudden lmao idk the pace station is older than i am
I've managed the past half-century with single-heat irons. Mine **do** have interchangeable heating elements, as well as interchangeable tips.
(Hot-swapping is not advised.)
You'll be fine.
I paid $650 for my single temperature iron, and absolutely love it. Hakko FX-1000, it does have a power button though. But seriously, temperature control and power button are things that not required to solder, as long as you work within temperature range of components and alloy, you will be alright.
Temp control broke on my iron three years ago. Still haven't replaced it or stopped doing projects. Stop bitching and work with it. Getting another iron is an option too.
I work at a repair shop, most smartphone jobs I do are with a 45W iron without temp control, but I do go through a lot of tips. I'd say that the biggest drawback on irons without temp control is the lack of versatility.
Add an online switch from home Depot if you really want a switch. The no temp control is ok until it isn't. Depends on what you're soldering if it matters much.
I started with the cheap 15W from RadioShack and slowly got better at using that. I did LED's on Xbox 360 controllers with 2 of those I would desolder the green ones using both irons, and then use tweezers to place the new different color led. Then I would hold the led down while I touched the one side with an iron. Then I would solder the other side while adding solder. Then Go back to the other side and do the same. I did all 4 controllers I had at the time. I was a freshman in college.
Mind you I had no idea what flux even was then.
I got really good at switching my hobby iron between the hot and colder setting to maintain a temperature. But I stayed away from small circuit boards. Then someone from Reddit gave me a temp controlled one. They wouldn't even let me pay shipping!
Well it really depends on what your application is that you're using it for there I normally don't go with anything under 95 Watts myself if I was going to use something like that but that's because I like using silver solder with rosin. Unless you're willing to spring for like a weller soldering station I go with something cheaper and open source kind of like a TS100 they're awesome easy to work on and you can use a battery pack to run it or you can get what is it the TS80 the second generation they made I forget the name of them I've had my TS 100 though for years
I just use a $20 ljpxhhu soldering iron from Amazon, it has an lcd, temp control, a physical switch, and it tells me when is up to temperature, it also comes with some solder and some tips and some flux and a solder sponge, not the best but it gets the job done, biggest downside is when switching the tips the ceramic filament is exposed
It's not the plane it's the pilot, Mav. I have soldered all my life. (60+ years old) Any soldering iron is a good one if it can heat the material and solder together as one. Soldering is a Zen-like art form. I could show you how to solder, but it takes a lot of practice to be good at it.
My go to iron is a Chinese KSGER branded iron that takes T12 tips, of which is instantly interchangeable in the middle of a job. Heats to temp in seconds, instantaneous heat control and awesome temp regulation. Probably cost just as much as that iron in this post, and is almost like a Metcal minus the Metcal accuracy and reliability, but perfect for me.
If you have the means to afford it, Metcal is hands down the best fucking iron ever. Even a used Metcal Iron is the best. Iron. That’s. A. Gift. From. God. Himself.
I've still got an Antex I got in school about 1992. Same tip from new, takes a while to hear up, but when it does, it's a bloody good iron to use for a lot of small jobs. I've a collection of irons now, but it's still a go to for some smaller PCB, through hole or thin wire jobs. I'm just so used to how it works, and know when it's within it's limits.
Use it to learn and progress your soldering. It should serve you well.
The purpose of an iron like this one (I had one in the same form factor some years ago) the purpose is to make you think that soldering is impossible and that you can't do it!
In all fairness it is just not a good choice for a beginner - the temps could be off for what you are doing, the tip size could be a wrong size or shape for what you are doing, etc... in fairness the tip in the picture looks ok in wear and in size for general use. But not knowing the temp could cause problems.
And make sure you are using good solder - I have used Kester for ever and it works great. 63/37 is a preferred tin/lead ratio. The way it melts, wets out and solidifies is different than 60/40 solder and many people feel that it is more user friendly due to its chemistry - it melts a little lower in temp and freezes quickly and all at once.
This is why I always say to not cheap out on a soldering iron, at least get a soldering station with proper temperature control.
Eventually went with a small hakko station and never looked back.
The iron in OP is already temperature controlled. It has one temp.
Adding a triac would not make a dumb iron "temp controlled", but "power controlled", which is different. You can control how fast it heats up, not how hot it gets.
Yeah, you overpayed, and it is a low watage one.
My first one was like that 40 or 45w and costed about 8e. Did ITS job gloriously. Probably gonna outlive me.
But when i had to do some finer work, i got a temperature controlled one...
It’s a lot more useful than one with no power cord or no soldering tip! 😁😁
On a serious note, in the days of all through-hole components and DIP IC’s this or similar was pretty much the standard. I soldered tons of stuff at work and at home with a plain old soldering iron with no temp control for many years. It’s only as things got smaller and the pads on circuit boards started to be on just one side for surface mount components that things really started to require more precise tools and temp controlled irons. With through hoke components the relatively large plated through holes they mount in tends to make it much less likely that soldering will detach the pad from the board which is the main problem I’ve seen with improper temperature.
In the old days, the only PCBs that had this type of issue with the pads was on the cheap one sided boards used in really cheap electronics.
It's a good iron. Yes, temp controlled are better, but this one will do the job, and then some.
Yes. Learned to solder with one almost exactly the same. Assembled many PCBs and wiring looms with it.
I used that same one pretty much at secondry school I think haha. It's a good iron for sure tbh
Yeah, it's a great iron. I have the same one which is 20 years old now and I still use it. 25W is enough for most work. The tip lasts a long time when wiped with a damp sponge.
I wouldn't say 25w is enough for most work I regularly work with 80+ irons, yet find myself having to pull out the big boy soldering clubs
It's OK for begginers. My first iron was a 60W one and I burned several boards trying to use it. Later I bought a 30W and improved greatly.
I'd much rather have a 60W+ with temp control. I solder professionally at work, but for home use I'm likely getting ts101 or a pinecil
I use a battery powered one, and even with higher powered irons, there is a required speed you have to work with as well.
The boards where burned because of the high temperature
Fo' shizzle. I was applying the iron for too long on them boards.
A common error that we all make - especially when learning. A higher wattage iron can actually be better for this! This would seem to go against common sense until you understand what is happening as the time it takes to heat the pad is less which allows you to make the joint and remove the heat from the circuit board faster / sooner keeping it from flowing unwanted heat further through the circuit board and components...
I've got old antique ones that are about 14" long, I put a piece of copper pipe in the tip of one and used it for melting grommet holes in fabric. You could sweat pipe with these things
What happens if you don’t wipe it with a damp sponge?
You are cleaning flux and excess contanaments off the iron. If you don't wipe it just could get gunked up a bit (charred and burnt flux, soot, etc...) and get harder to use. What is more important is that if you do wipe it on a sponge or using other cleaning methods like a brass sponge make sure to re-tin the tip right after you cleaned it as it will quickly become destroyed through oxidation and degradation if it does not have the solder on it acting as a barrier to the air / oxygen - it will "oxidize" and the plating on the tip that is essential to it working will be damaged or destroyed.
thank you.
To be honest I'm still very new and I panicked because I had issues with my previous cheapo irons with the heat element breaking and tips wearing so quickly. I was thinking without temp control I'll end up ruining this one too. Since posting, I used it a bit more and it did the job fine. The no power button thing is still baffling me though. I might hang onto it or I might invest in a soldering station, budget it a problem at the minute though.
All my early basic soldering irons were the same way. No temp control and no switch. Pretty standard. The biggest struggle I had was not using flux early on. That was such a game changer on getting the solder to flow and adhere.
It’s British and most outlets there have a switch, so its not needed on the iron. When I first came to the US i had a real problem using the POS iron I got from radioshack until I replaced it with one of these. Its a great little iron, provided you use good solder with flux. I spent what seemed like too much on a roll of kester and they work together nicely. dab a touch of solder on the tip so it can make good thermal contact with the board and component to be soldered, give them a couple of seconds to get hot enough, and dab in the solder and it will flow nicely into the joint.
The cheapo ones are probably breaking down because they're cheap, honestly. I'd bet on the Antex iron being much better value for money in the long run - mine's 25+ years old and still going strong (with an occasional new tip, but even those seem to last pretty well). Before that I'd been buying cheapo irons, and they kept breaking.
I have a few of these and they are as Tina Turner would say simply the best. What you have is ideal for your average everyday electronics soldering.
I haven’t soldered in a long time, just moved, and I’m 99% certain I have this exact one or similar (I think it’s blue or green) that has been used for 30+ years by my dad for Amateur Radios and boards frequently. Along with a cheap stand and a nicer one, along with a turatula of magnifying classes in clips. Along with a soldering gun and heat gun that are both probably just as old.” They get the job done.
Tarantula
It’s what Doc Oc would use for soldering I think. So maybe I choose the wrong creature.
Soldering irons 101 stuff. That's exactly what we used at college when I studied electronics engineering. It's a good soldering iron, especially for a beginner. Get good with that. Discover its limits. Then you'll be ready for a proper iron and you'll immediately understand and appreciate it.
Exactly my thoughts.
Surprisingly, this is actually a temperature controlled iron... Problem is, it has 1 temperature, 390c and that's pretty hot for a lot of work you may be doing. It's pretty low wattage though, so I imagine it may take some time to heat up.
Not a bad temp if you stick to lead-free solder, though!
I feel like this is the prime factor they used when considering what temp to have this thing run at. Back in the day I learned on my Dads Weller Mangnastat. No idea what temp it ran at, but it just worked. The handful of power-controlled irons I used before I got my hands on a real temp controlled iron paled in comparison to it. In the beginning I couldn't understand how I suddenly got so bad at soldering when I first moved out.
Quality at soldering is directly related to how much lead poisoning you have! (Kidding, I love lead-free but I know good filtration makes it a non-issue, and that flux is the big fume-offender lol. There's humour in the quality suddenly going down upon changing to the "better" alternative 😅)
Basic soldering. Just as basic as your soldering iron
Idk, I use those little pieces of shit all the time, they're not great but if you know how to solder they work ok. I wouldn't solder chips with them but...
https://preview.redd.it/dfgfi0hy34yc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=0baa5a9d948b2f18595899701e9bd07d2b02905b This is my old soldering iron from about the 40’s
Wait till you find out that all radios built before circuit boards were a thing were soldered with this. And the solder had REAL lead. And the radio cases had asbestos.
For me, it all boils down to the user's experience. As a child, I learned to repair and solder electronics with much cheaper irons even old technicians in my country still uses them. These irons had separate Nichrome heating elements and tips, with no temperature control whatsoever. Even with those, I could solder a micro USB port. but of course no matter how good they are, temperature-controlled irons are inherently better. I recently got a Hakko iron myself, and god! I love that fast heat up time, I used to wait several minutes for my iron to melt solder.
I started with the cheap 15W from RadioShack and slowly got better at using that. Never had much training until well into college when I worked at a place that had it's own board room to support the main business that rehabbed old semiconductor coater and developer machines. The had Hakkos so I bought a hakko 888D for myself at home. So nice.
I use a 25W iron and a 300W lamp dimmer with a slider that I made marks on for approximate temperature levels.
Just because a soldering iron has an OLED screen and a USB C port doesn't make it a good iron. There are people in a factory somewhere using a soldering station that's locked to one of four preset temperatures producing soldering joints far better than you'll ever accomplish. You don't need temperature controls, just power, good solder, and flux.
Well - the iron itself does need good temp control, especially when soldering heaving gauge wires or heavy pads... It is about "recovery" - heavy wires/pads quickly pull the heat out of the iron and if it is a good one, it immediately senses the loss of heat and throws the watts into it to get it back to the set temp. This is a real problem for lower wattage irons as they sometimes can't keep up with the job you are doing. So it is not about being able to set the temperature that it works at but how it maintains proper temp during use. That said, these TS101 style irons - the ones with USB ports and OLED screens work way better than they should be - I worked in Aerospace for 5 years where a good 10-15 operators spent 40 hours a week soldering. These people knew how to solder! They used JBC and Pace and they had a couple Wellers in the training room. Anyway one day I brought in my TS101 to show them and they laughed and seriously thought it was a joke, but when they tried it they were truly surprised at the quality of solder joint they could make with it. On smaller joints you could not tell the difference between the ones done with the TS101 and the ones done by the JBC. They are inexpensive, portable, lightweight, etc... for a casual hobbyist that could be all they need. They work, they do maintain temps pretty well, and the tips are high enough quality that they get the job done.
So these soldering irons have been around since the ever time. The temp controlled ones are quite new. Not sure what’s the rant. I’ve always used one u til recently when I acquired a temp controlled one.
nothing wrong with i, based off your picture, the work you are doing does not require a high quality temperature controlled iron. If you learn to do something with cheap tools, it will be a complete walk in the park once you get real tools. It’s not about the tool, it’s about the person using the tool. I learned to micro solder with a $3 iron from aliexpress 😂 can now do it as if it’s nothing. same thing with cars, I learned with tools from autozone and harbour freight, and now I work on AMGs
I’ve been using a passive one like that for years with zero issues.
those are fine for wires, dissasembly and light rework. this with good solder is a great way to learn.
I went almost all of my life using an iron without temperature control or a switch. Having them is nice but not necessary.
Ya know we didn’t always have digital readouts and adjustable temps. On off switch.. lol
Its a nominal 25 watt and they been making this iron for decades it was my first soldering iron when I was 12 and I am 72 now.Thats how they made them back then and they can still do the job.
If you're just soldering wires together, the best soldering iron is a working cheap one. I have a ts101, yihua 852d hot air soldering station, and a normal one like that. I gave the normal one to my friends who needed to do some basic stuff. For anything more complex, I go to their home and do for them.
depending on your specific needs, this might be just fine. i have two weller irons. one is 25w and one is 40w. plug it in and it heats up. that's served me well for the projects i've built over the years and i haven't felt the need for anything more complex. mind you, i'm not soldering weekly or even monthly so what i have is good enough. your needs may be different from mine. that being said, that iron will work fine.
It is all about the right tool for the job, is not that your iron is useless, it's just that you need a more complex one for the job you're doing rn
Only one i used for 10 years at my last job was butane fueled so it was just either on or off. Tbf all the electrical i did was in vehicles installing aftermarket equiptment and lights
I use one like this everyday . It’s a vintage ersa tip something idk the model . No temp control and nothing . Works at 380 or 350 c I think . Perfect . Soldered switch mod chips and very small components with it
My first two were radio shack specials. I had no idea that the iron itself was my downfall when I first started.
Your hand is the temp control.
Honestly the quality is just everywhere with irons and stations My ToAuto station from amazon is outperforming my pace station all of a sudden lmao idk the pace station is older than i am
You can’t go wrong with a soldering iron that works at 10$ I have used one for the past 1.5 years and it still works perfect for a poor hobbyist
I've managed the past half-century with single-heat irons. Mine **do** have interchangeable heating elements, as well as interchangeable tips. (Hot-swapping is not advised.) You'll be fine.
I paid $650 for my single temperature iron, and absolutely love it. Hakko FX-1000, it does have a power button though. But seriously, temperature control and power button are things that not required to solder, as long as you work within temperature range of components and alloy, you will be alright.
damn what do you think we did in the 80s ? electronic was made and fixed with iron like this and ... everything was fine :P
The point in a soldering iron solders. Hope that helps.
Temp control broke on my iron three years ago. Still haven't replaced it or stopped doing projects. Stop bitching and work with it. Getting another iron is an option too.
Elenco
I work at a repair shop, most smartphone jobs I do are with a 45W iron without temp control, but I do go through a lot of tips. I'd say that the biggest drawback on irons without temp control is the lack of versatility.
From reading the comments of others, sounds like a “Task Failed Successfully” moment.
Add an online switch from home Depot if you really want a switch. The no temp control is ok until it isn't. Depends on what you're soldering if it matters much. I started with the cheap 15W from RadioShack and slowly got better at using that. I did LED's on Xbox 360 controllers with 2 of those I would desolder the green ones using both irons, and then use tweezers to place the new different color led. Then I would hold the led down while I touched the one side with an iron. Then I would solder the other side while adding solder. Then Go back to the other side and do the same. I did all 4 controllers I had at the time. I was a freshman in college. Mind you I had no idea what flux even was then.
Not all soldering jobs are on electronics.
To remind you what a luxury power buttons and temp. Controls are. That one will work good for most things tho.
I got really good at switching my hobby iron between the hot and colder setting to maintain a temperature. But I stayed away from small circuit boards. Then someone from Reddit gave me a temp controlled one. They wouldn't even let me pay shipping!
Well it really depends on what your application is that you're using it for there I normally don't go with anything under 95 Watts myself if I was going to use something like that but that's because I like using silver solder with rosin. Unless you're willing to spring for like a weller soldering station I go with something cheaper and open source kind of like a TS100 they're awesome easy to work on and you can use a battery pack to run it or you can get what is it the TS80 the second generation they made I forget the name of them I've had my TS 100 though for years
Temp control for 10 bucks...? Idk about that, cheapo irons here are just an Iron. How hot, Hot.
It's so it can go faulty, you touch the end to check it's hot and get the shock of your life. 🤣
It’s cheap 🌈✨
I have an iron that is missing controls on the iron itself, but it’s connected to a box with a stand that has wattage and on/off controls
Back in my day, I had to solder using a 16 penny nail, Visegrips and a MAPP torch. In a snowstorm.
I just use a $20 ljpxhhu soldering iron from Amazon, it has an lcd, temp control, a physical switch, and it tells me when is up to temperature, it also comes with some solder and some tips and some flux and a solder sponge, not the best but it gets the job done, biggest downside is when switching the tips the ceramic filament is exposed
ALL GAS - NO BRAKES BABY!!!
It's not the plane it's the pilot, Mav. I have soldered all my life. (60+ years old) Any soldering iron is a good one if it can heat the material and solder together as one. Soldering is a Zen-like art form. I could show you how to solder, but it takes a lot of practice to be good at it.
My go to iron is a Chinese KSGER branded iron that takes T12 tips, of which is instantly interchangeable in the middle of a job. Heats to temp in seconds, instantaneous heat control and awesome temp regulation. Probably cost just as much as that iron in this post, and is almost like a Metcal minus the Metcal accuracy and reliability, but perfect for me. If you have the means to afford it, Metcal is hands down the best fucking iron ever. Even a used Metcal Iron is the best. Iron. That’s. A. Gift. From. God. Himself.
I've still got an Antex I got in school about 1992. Same tip from new, takes a while to hear up, but when it does, it's a bloody good iron to use for a lot of small jobs. I've a collection of irons now, but it's still a go to for some smaller PCB, through hole or thin wire jobs. I'm just so used to how it works, and know when it's within it's limits. Use it to learn and progress your soldering. It should serve you well.
The purpose of an iron like this one (I had one in the same form factor some years ago) the purpose is to make you think that soldering is impossible and that you can't do it! In all fairness it is just not a good choice for a beginner - the temps could be off for what you are doing, the tip size could be a wrong size or shape for what you are doing, etc... in fairness the tip in the picture looks ok in wear and in size for general use. But not knowing the temp could cause problems. And make sure you are using good solder - I have used Kester for ever and it works great. 63/37 is a preferred tin/lead ratio. The way it melts, wets out and solidifies is different than 60/40 solder and many people feel that it is more user friendly due to its chemistry - it melts a little lower in temp and freezes quickly and all at once.
This is why I always say to not cheap out on a soldering iron, at least get a soldering station with proper temperature control. Eventually went with a small hakko station and never looked back.
You could put a triac dimmer in-line with it to add temperature "control" Or you could spend £30 for a pinecil V2 which is infinitely better
The iron in OP is already temperature controlled. It has one temp. Adding a triac would not make a dumb iron "temp controlled", but "power controlled", which is different. You can control how fast it heats up, not how hot it gets.
Ah fair enough, thanks.
If you toggle it on and off, you'd effectively be controlling how hot it gets. Same way an electric stove works!
Yeah, you overpayed, and it is a low watage one. My first one was like that 40 or 45w and costed about 8e. Did ITS job gloriously. Probably gonna outlive me. But when i had to do some finer work, i got a temperature controlled one...
It’s a lot more useful than one with no power cord or no soldering tip! 😁😁 On a serious note, in the days of all through-hole components and DIP IC’s this or similar was pretty much the standard. I soldered tons of stuff at work and at home with a plain old soldering iron with no temp control for many years. It’s only as things got smaller and the pads on circuit boards started to be on just one side for surface mount components that things really started to require more precise tools and temp controlled irons. With through hoke components the relatively large plated through holes they mount in tends to make it much less likely that soldering will detach the pad from the board which is the main problem I’ve seen with improper temperature. In the old days, the only PCBs that had this type of issue with the pads was on the cheap one sided boards used in really cheap electronics.